Emmie Forman on Office Composting

Emmie Forman - Evergreen Employee
Dean's Area

Office of Sustainability: What motivated you to start a pilot composting program in the Dean’s area?

Emmie: Recycling and waste reduction have always been an essential part of my life. My mom always led my siblings and me by example to recycle to the extent that there are facilities available, so it has always been a normal part of my life, from early childhood on.  Lately (the last five years or so), I’ve become inspired by the World War II motto: Use it up, Wear it out, or Make it do, or Do without!
And this year’s Zero Waste Convocation was a huge inspiration. Being new to the Dean’s office and having fresh eyes--I decided that if Evergreen can host a convocation for over 340 people and make it zero waste-- I could certainly make an effort to have our office go zero waste everyday—I contacted Evergreen’s Office of Sustainability and they helped supply me with five small compost bins, which have been placed throughout the office.

Office of Sustainability: How has it been working out?

Emmie: During a staff meeting, representatives of the Office of Sustainability and I answered questions on how we could reduce our office waste by composting and peoples’ concerns about possible odors or bugs. We assured them that if we worked together on this project, it would not be a problem.  And so far, things have been going very well – no odors and no bugs.  I’ve seen a lot of paper towels, fruits, and coffee grounds in the bins -- beautiful organic recyclables!

We all work together to keep the stations clean. People in my office are definitely using them, thinking before they throw things away, and encouraging each other to do the same.  We know that we aren’t going to be able to capture every little thing that could be compostable, but even if we only reduce our waste by 20%, it’s a good start and well worth it – we can only grow from there!

Office of Sustainability: What advise do you have for other community members who may want to set-up compost stations in their offices/dorms/homes?

Emmie: The ecological problems we face in our world can seem overwhelming, and you might wonder if you can really make a difference, but the best places to begin are the small spaces where you spend the bulk of your time, whether it’s your office, dorm, or home.  Ask around in your group or family and see if you can get everyone involved or at least intrigued -- what can we recycle that we’re not already recycling?  Once you figure that out, my advice is definitely to start small --  the more manageable you make any new project, whether recycling, composting, exercising, or anything else, the more success you’ll have – and you find that it becomes a habit (at least that’s what I’ve experienced so far).  Once you’ve got that step down, add another layer – it’s really that easy!

Office of Sustainability: What other ways do you practice sustainability in your personal life?

Emmie: Well, I don’t drive, so I take the bus every day, not only to Evergreen but everywhere else outside of walking distance.  There is not curbside recycling where I live, so I actually carry my recycling to the Thurston County drop-off recycling stations on the bus—yes, believe it or not, when my home bins get full I hop on the bus with the crates in hand and ride out to the nearest accessible recycling point.  It would be nice if there were a recycling station more centrally located to downtown Olympia — but it’s not that difficult to make it part of my weekend errands, especially when I combine it with grocery shopping or something else I have to get done.  I do strive to reduce, recycle, and reuse whenever I can, although I’ll always be the first one to say that I’m nowhere near perfect on this front – I strongly believe that every bit you can do helps, no matter how small it seems.

Office of Sustainability: What drives your personal commitment to sustainability?

Emmie: To me, feeling good about the life I’m living includes knowing that I’m doing my best to do the right thing, including trying my hardest to reduce the footprint I leave. I want to be able to look into the eyes of future generations and say—I did my part to keep this planet whole for them.